Concerns over Egypt media freedom

Government accused of cracking down on independent journalists in lead-up to polls.

11 Oct 2010 14:45 GMT

The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the deterioration in freedom of press in Egypt in the run-up to the country's parliamentary elections in November and in advance of the presidential vote next year.

Reporters without Borders has placed Egypt in the bottom 35 out of 175 countries when it comes to freedom of the press.

Egyptian journalists say that the government has started to crack down on journalists more than ever before. Just last week Ibrahim Eissa, the editor-in-chief and founder of the independent daily Al-Dustour, was dismissed. He had been one of the main critics of the government and he claims that he has been fired because of his editorial policy, a claim that the newspaper's new owners dispute.

Some other popular and experienced columnists have also been on the government's radar and have been urged to tone down their content.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid finds out how anti-establishment media organisations are suffering for political reasons.